Dehradun: The Uttarakhand government has decided to hike the minimum wages for labourers in the state by nearly 22 percent.

A decision to this effect was taken on Thursday in a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, officials said. With this, the monthly wages of the workers will increase between Rs 800 to Rs 1,200, they said.

Among other decisions, the Cabinet gave its clearance to the Uttarakhand Town Planning and Development Bill and Uttarakhand Energy Development Fund (amendment) Bill, which are to be tabled in the Assembly in the coming Budget session.

The Cabinet also gave its nod to the creation of a state-level development authority and a civil aviation authority, besides giving approval to the 'Jan Sahyog Shiksha Nidhi' for scholarships to meritorious students in government-run schools.